Grain-car door.



S. A. MINE GRAIN CAR noon.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 2, 1909. RENEWED NOV. 2, 1911.

v 1,047,131, Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

3 QHEETS-SHEET 1. Q 422 w 20 ga Svwentov Wt ffiflzcizer- Y s. A. MINER.GRAIN GAB. DOOR. APPLICATION FILED 00112, 1909. RENEWED NOV. 2, 1911. 1,O&7f,l 51

Patented Dec. 10, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

SHUGYHZOZ s. A. MINER. GRAIN OAR DOOR. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 2, 190RENEWED NOV. 2, 1911. 1 ,047, 1 3-1 Patented Dec, 10, 1912.

3 SHEBTSSHEET 3.

l vitneoou yaw/4% srnwairr-a'mmna, or pier-Hm, nanlrona oanana,

GRAIN-CAR noon.

Specification of Letters l atent. Patented Dec. 1Q, 191-2.

Application filed. October 2, i909; Seria1.No. 526,696; Renewed eagre,1911. 'ser ai' no. 658,234?

.To all whom it may concern: 1 1- Be it known that I, S'rnwA nr A.MINER, subject of theKing of England, residing at Dauphin, in theProvince of Manitoba, Can- 5 ada, have invented certain new and'usefulImprovements in Grain-Car Doors, of which the following is a'specification.

This invention relates tograin car doors.

, The object of the invention is 'to provide a grain car door includinga pluralityof superposed panels movable vertically to ele? vatedposition at the top ofthe car, thereby to permit the ready-removal ofgrain or other material from the interior of the car, 5 a A furtherobject is to provide means for locking the door panels in elevated orinop-- erativ'e position, andmeans for releasing the panels to permitthe same to return to low-.

ered position at the door receiving opening. A further object is toprovide a grain car door including a rack having a' resilient guardrailarranged near'fithe samefor normally preventing the panels fromengaging the teeth on the rack, said guard rail being depressed by oneof the panel s, thereby to permit the panels to drop engagement-with theteeth onthe rack so as to retain the panels in elevated position atthetop of the car.

.30 I A still'further object of the invention is generally to improvethis class of devices soas to increase their utility, durability andefliciency.'

Further objects and advantages will appear inthe following description,it being -und erstood that various changes. in form,

proportions and. minor details of-construction may be resorted to withinthe scope of the appended claims.

40 For a full-understanding of the inventio and the merits thereof andalso to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction and the meansfor efi'ecting the result, reference isto be had to thefollowing'description and accompanying drawings, in which; Figure 1 i'sa' vertical-sectional viewjof a car provided with a grain doorconstructed in accordance with mv invention, a portion of the casingbeing the position of thewinding-drum; Fig.2 is

a transverse sectional view showing the door in lowered position; Fig. 3is a similar view showing'the door partially raised andsome of thepanels locked in elevated position by engagement with theteeth on therack, the

, auxiliary itastene'r "or h'ook. being shown in by gravityinto brokenaway to shownormal or releas edposition;Eigl' 4 is a hori- -zontaltransverse sectional view, taken-"on the line etet'of',Fig. 1; Fig."5isa "detail vertical sectional view showing the manner of releasing thepanels from engagement with the racli;'Fig. 6 is a detail "perspectiveView of one 'of-the'door panels detached; 4

Fig. [Z is a detail 'vertical sectional 'view showing the auxiliaryfastening device 'or 5 'hook swung laterally into engagementwith :theadjacent door panel; Fig. 8 is a side ele- "'vation of the hookdetached; Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the extension lever detached.Corresponding andlike partsare referred 7 to in the -following'description and-indicatedinall the views ofthedrawings by thesame-reference characters; The improved door forming the subjectmatterof the p'resentinvention is sho'wnin connection'with a grain carof the ordinary construction, in which 5 designates the body of the car,6 the floor and 7 the-door posts" spaced apart to form "the doorreceiving opening. Arranged "within the 'car an'd 'dis-v 0 posed at therear of the-posts 7-, are verticallydisposed guide rods 8, the upperends of which' are extended inwardly beneath the top 9 'of the cartoform upwardly -inclined extensions 10 having theirterminals 35 boltedor otherwise rigidly-secured to the top 9, as indicated at 11;,

' 'Slidablymounted in the door receiving; opening, is 'a' verticallymovable do'orincluding a plurality of superposed disconnected panels 12having their opposite longitudinal edges reinforce 'andstrengthened by"the pr'o'visi on of metallic plates 13 and their" .opposite' endsprovided with terminal wear plates or clips 14:, Extendinglaterally-from I the oppositeends of each panel '12, are'e'yes 15.which'receive the guide rods8-and'serve to retain'the panels inproperposition when' the door is'rais'ed and-lowered. The-shanks of theeyes 15 extend through suitable open- 'ings in the adjacent metallicclips 14 and t are provided with enlarged heads 16, which latter areseated in correspondingly shaped openings formed in' the-panels so as toform panels and the adjacent eyes. v v The outer faces. of tliepanelsconipris'ing the door "bear; against an'd are guided' i'n' ineffect a"swivel connection betweenthe their vertical ,movement byengagement with the inner faces of the door posts 7', while theinner'faces of said panels'bear against vertically disposed casings 17;The casi gs or E i 1,047,131 f housings: 17 extend approximately theentire height of the door and are arranged with their inner longitudinaledges overlapping the-adjacent ends of the panels 12 so as to .form'aprotection for the rods'8 and eyes 4 and thus preventgrain and othermaterial from interfering with the operation of the door. It will herebe noted that the casings 1 orhousings l7,"not only form a protectionfor the guide rods and eyes, but, by engagement with the, ad acent-facesof the panels 12, also form guides for-the rear face of A the door, theposts 7 formingguides for the pulley 23 disposed on the opposite sideof" front faceof the. door, as before stated.

Extending laterally ,from the opposite ends of thelower panel'18, areU-shaped clipsor yokes 19 having centrally disposedeyes 20 formedtherein and to which are attached ropes, chains or other, flexible-connectio'ns 21. The rope 21'on one side of the doortre'celving openingextends over a single wheeler-pulley 22and thence over a' double the doo r' receiving opening for attachment to a'windrng while the other ropeor cable 21'extends over the double pulley 23-ai1d is-also attached tothe drum 24, a

flange' 25' being formed on-the drum 24 in order-to separate the cables21. The drum 24 is mounted "for rotation in suitable bear- 'ings 26disposed within the chamber or compartment' 27- formed by thecar-lining'28- and is providedwith a cylindrical portion forengagement-with, an operating lever- 29 so that by oscillating the lever29, the drum 24 may be rotated to raise or lower the door. Pivotallymounted on the lever 29 is a pawl 30 adapted to engage a. ratchet wheel32 car-1 .ried by the drum 24,- there being asimilar pawl 33 pivotallymounted on the car and e'ngaging'the' ratchet wheel 32 .in order toelevating the door'.. Thus it {will be seen that prevent rearwardrotation of the drum when ,the pawl 30, by engagement withthe. ratchet,

4$ 'serves'.t o rotate the drum 24-when the lever 29 .'i soscillated,"while the pawl, 33, by engagementwith the ratchet 32, servesto prevent rearward rotation of said drum. Se

cured to the pawls 30 and 33, are short chain sections 34', theiree endsofwhichextend through an opening 35 formed in the adjacent'do'ori-post 7and are provided with ter- ;minal rings 36 adapted to engage a hook- Ior similar fastening device37 secured to the 5:5-

door post for the purpose of holding the pawls 30 and 33 out ofengagement with the ratchet wheel 32 when it IS desired to lower f thepanels constituting the door.- Dlsposed in spaced relation to the top ofthe-car are spaced inclined rack bars 39-having their inner. endssecured to the casings 17 and their .outerends' fastened by the bolts 11to .',the,.top. of the car,- as best shown in Fig. '3} of the drawings;The rack bars 39- are pro-I vided with spa ed eeth or pockets 40 adaptedto receive the adj acent longitudinal edges or corners ofthe panels 12for retaining said panels in elevated position, there being suit-' ablearcuate guide bars 41 secured to the side and top of the car in spacedrelation to the-racks 39 for the purpose of guiding the panels 12 to therack bar when the grain car door is elevated. Arranged near the innerlongitudinal edge of each rack bar 39 and preferably disposed in a planeabove said rack bars, are depressible guard rails 42,

preferably in the form of resilient rods, the

inner ends of which extend beyond the fastening device or bolt 11 andare retained in position on the top of the car by suitable anchoringmembers 43. The depressible' guard rails 42 are inclined upwardly sothat the space between .the rear ends of the guard rails and the top ofthe car is less than the space between the forward ends of the guardrailsand the top of the car so that when-the first panel constitutingthe door, is moved to elevated position near the fixed end of theextensionsflO .it will depress the guard rails 42 and thus permittheadjacent panels 12 to enter the pockets 4.0 and in which position theywill beeffectually retainediuntil released by the operator. Thus it willbe seen that by rotating the operating lever 29, the chains or cables 21will ;X1l3 3 longi-- tudinal pull on the lower panel 18 and elevate allof the-panels so as to permit access to the interior of'the car. -As thetop panel approaches the inner or fixed. ends of the extensions 10, saidtop panel will be wedged against the top of the car thus depressing theguard rail/l2 and permitting the adjacent panels 12 to drop by gravityintothe pockets 40, the swivelconnection between the shown in Fig. 3 ofthe drawings.

Secured to the transverse beam-"44L of the door receiv ng opening, is asuspension loop or eye 45 adapted to receive a removable extension leveror bar 4:6, the function of which is to elevate the panels 12 and thusdisengage thelatter from the pockets or teeth 40 of the rack bars so asto permit sa d panels to be moved to any desired height above the floorof the car. The lever or bar 46 is pro vided with a terminal "socket 47adapted to receive the reduced end of the operating lever' 29,the'levers 29and 46 being housed withinia suitable recess 48 when,not'in use,

einedwithin said recess by clip- 48 i-rain 'marks'or graduationsx49 maybe formed on the car or on the panels comprising-the door so that if itis desired toload' a car with wheat, it will not be necessary to lowerall of the planks or panels, but simplv to drop thepanels-until thepanel marked Wheat is lowered, and in'this' way, allow. the attendantsto crawl in and out of the car, as may be desired. l 3

-I-t will here be noted that thejpanels com- .prisin'g'the door, areindependently mounted for both vertical and tiltin movement on theguidero'ds 8 and extensions 10, so'tha-t any number of panels' maybelowered, while .5 the remaining panels arelocked in' inoperativeposition at the top of the'oar, said panels being released by theactuatinglever- 46, in the manner before stated. v v

VVhenit is desired to elevate only a few of the door panels, some means'must be provided for holding said panels in elevated position when thepawlsand 33 ar e released, as the guardrail 42 is only depressed topermit thepanels' to. enter the pockets of the rack il'when the upperpanel of the-door bears against the top. ofthe can. In order to effectthis'result an auxiliary fastening de-' vice or hook A9 is' suspendedfrom clip or bracket secured to. the uppersill of the car door, saidhook being provided with" a curved slot 51 adapted to receive the pivotpin 52,j there .being notches, or recesses 53 communicating with theopposite ends of the slot 51 for the reception of the pivot Y 7 pin 52.Thus it will-be seen that when the hook 49: is moved "with the lever 46in one direction, the' pivot pin will enter one of the notches orrecesses 53 and cause the active end of the hook to. engage the adjacentdoor panel and support the same in elevated position as'bestoshown inFig. 7 of the drawing's, and when. said hook is tilted in the oppositedirection, the pivot pin will enter the othernrecess 53 and hold the actve end of the hook -out of the path of the panels "50 as to allow saidpanels to drop to the bottom of the .door receiving openln'g. It willofcoursebe unde'rstoodthat when some of the panels are supportedinelevated position either'by therack 40 or hook 4:9 the-remainingpanels may be lowered -to the bottom of the door opening by releasingthe pawls 30 and 33. '-It'-wi11 here be noted that the guard-rails 42preventtheglower longitudinal edges of the panels from riding'over theteeth of the racks 39 when-the panels are moved to. ele. vated position,th'isnot only to prevent ex cessive wear on said panels, but also toprevent undue strain on or vibration oi said racks which would haveatendency to loosen the fastening devices thereof and Havingi thusdescribed the invention, what is claime as new is:

-1, The combination with a car having a Y door receivingopening, of arack secured to the top of the car, a resilient guardrail-arrangedneartherack, and a door comprising a plurality of superposedpanels,means for raising the panels,o and means for causing 'one ofthe panels.to depressthe guard rail thereby to' permit the adjacent panels toengage the adjacent teeth on the rack. I

. 2. The combination with a car having a door receiving opening, ofaracksecured to the top of the car a resilient guard rail arranged nearthe rack, a door comprising a pluralityof independent superposed panelsmounted for vertical movement in the'door receiving'opening, means forelevating the v dooxgand means for causing one of said panels to depressthe guard rail to permit.

the adjacent panels to engage the teeth on the rack.

3-. The-"combination with a car having a door receiving'opening, spacedguide rods disposedonppposit'e sides of the door receiving opening, arack secured to thetop of able to elevated position above the rack,

, the car and extending to said door receiving means for raising thepanel, and means for causing one of said'panels to depress the guardrail thereby toi permit v the {adj acent panels to engage the teeth onthe rack.

4.- Thescomhination with a car having a door receiving opening,of a racksecured to the top of the car, a resilient guard rail disengage theteeth on therack, a suspension device dependi'ngfrom the c'ar'at saidopen- '-ing,;-and a lever supported by the suspension device. f gagingthe papelsfrom the teeth on the rack.

. ESL The combination ivith a dar having a door receiving opening,spaced gui rods disposed on -opposite sides of the d or rewardlyinclined extensions, the terminals of .which are securedto the top ofthe car,

tween the guide rods and formed with a plurality of superposed panelshaving swivel eyes secured to the opposite ends thereof for thereception of the adjacent-guide rods, :1

-renderthe racks useless after a short period of service.

posed inza plane above the'rack, a door com.

(1elVlngv pv 1l Ilg and, provided with up- 12o." spacedracksj: arrangedbeneaththe guide rod extensions,a .ddoitslidablynxbunted beresilientguard rail secured to the @top of-the v .car and ner'mally disposed in aplane above the teeth onthe racks means for elevating the panels, andmeans for causing one of.

said panels to-depress the guard rail, thereby to permit theadjacentpanels to engage .the teeth on the racks;

6. The combination with a car having-a door receiving opening, spacedguide rods disposed on opposite sides of the. door rec'eivin opening andhaving their upper ends extended and attached to the top of the car,

a'doorincluding apIuraIity'o-f superposed independent panels, clipssecured to the'opposite ends of the panels, eyes swiveled in the clipsand engaging the ad acent gulde rods, spaced racks extending from thedoor receiving opening to the top of the car, and resilient guardralls'arranged near the inner longitudinal edges of the racks andarranged in a'plane'slightly above the teeth on said racks, means forelevating the panels, and

means for causing one of said panels to depress the guard-rails, therebyto permit the drum,- a flexible connection between the 0pposite ends ofthe-lower panel of the door and said drum, a rack extending from thedoorfreceiving opening and inclined up- Hwa'rdlyin the direction of thetop of the 1 car, a guide rail disposed in a plane slightly guard-railthereby above the teeth on-the rack and means-for causing one of thepanels to depress the panels to engage the teeth on the rack.

8. The combination with a car having a door receiving opening, guiderods disposed on opposite sides of the door opening, a door 'compris inga plurality of superposed panels, having terminal reinforcing clipssec'ured thereto, eyes ,swiveled in said chps and adapted to receive theadjacent guide rods, casings forming housings for the guide rods; .andeyes and overlapping the clips ofthe adjacent panels, a'rack inclined"upwardly above thex-rack,

.from the door receiving opening to the top of the car, a resilientguard rail disposed panels, *and means for'eausingone of the panelstodepress the guard-rail thereby to permit the remaining panels toengage the teetlronthe rack. I

9. The'combination with a car having adoor receiving opening, of spacedguide rods' secured to the'oppos1te sides of thedoor opening and havingtheir upper ends exto permit the adjacent.

ine'ans for elevating the' the adjacent guide rods, angularlydisposedcasings embracing the guide rods and the adjacent eyes andbearing against the inner faces of the panels, a flexible guard raildisposed in a plane above the rack and project'- ing longitudinallybeyond the rack for attachment to the'top ofthe car, means for raisingthe panels, and means for causing one of said panels to depress theguard rail thereby to permit the'radjacent panels to engagethe teeth onthe rack for locking said panels in elevated position at the'top of thecar.

10. The "combination with a car having a door opening, of a rack securedto the top of the car, aresilieilt guard jrailarran ed near the rack, adoorcomprising a plurality of superposed panels, means for'elevating'the' panels, means for causing one of the panels to depressthe guard.rail and allow the adjacent panels to engage the teeth on the rack whensaid panels are elevated, and.

a hook pivotally'mounted at the doc-r opening and adaptedto engage andsupport the panels when the guard rail isiin elevated position.

11. The combination W 91 a structure having a doorway, of spacef tracksarranged within the structure, said tracks having a' series of steppedportions extending beneaththe roof of the structure, and a plurality ofdoor sections one to each stepped portion movable upon the tracks and amranged to seat upon the stepped portions thereof in overlapped relation.Y

, 12. The combinatiompith a structurehav- .ing a" doorway, of spacedtracks arranged.

within the, structure, said tracks having a plurality of steppedportions extending beneath-the roof of the structure, a pluralityof'door sections one to each stepped portion movable upon thetracks andarranged to, seat upon the respective stepped portions thereof inoverlapped relation, and means for elevating the sections. a

In testimony whereof- I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

STEWART'A. MINER. [1,. a] Witnesses:--

JAMES W. BROWN, NORMAN L.---Lxonsoiv.

